1,000,000 Broken Guitars - Popa Chubby

Advantages: Hidden R.E.M. gems that were never released....until now!
Disadvantages: Doesn't play like an album

...tempo track is simply beautiful. Buck starts with a detuned guitar, creating some fabulous chords, which Stipe overlaps with a vulnerable, tense falsetto. Mills' pounding bass drives this song along with Berry's forceful drums. 18: Carnival Of Sorts (Box Cars): By now, you should have realised you ought to buy this album. If not, and you're looking for that one infectious hook, or that ultimate danceability, this is it. Truly outstanding. No more to say. 19: 1,000,000: Disco-influenced rhythmism (if that's a word) by Berry make this a very danceable track. Stipe gets angry and even less understandable here, but that's OK: lyrics were never the name of the game for him. 20: Stumble: An excellent track, dark and daunting but immediately accessible and memorable. The bass gallops along at quite a pace, set by Berry's definite snare hits... Read review

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Advantages: Jack White & Brendan Benson
Disadvantages: A Bit Depressing

...The Raconteur's (Jack Lawrence, Brendan Benson, Jack White and Patrick Keeler) Debut album, Broken Boy soldiers is a breath of fresh air in the music world! Benson & White's vocals go surprisingly well together and the album manages to retain a good blues feel to it throughout (although this is mainly a rocky album). White's haunting guitar playing and solos bring a great "AIR" to the songs. Backed up by Keeler's superb Drumming and Held together by Jack Lawrence's chunky Baselines. I'm going to stick with "Steady, As She Goes" (track 1) as the best song on the album and unsurprisingly this was released as a single. Cover/Inlay: On the cover is a gothic-style photo of the band. Track List: 1. Steady, As She Goes 2. Hands 3. Broken Boy Soldier 4. Intimate Secretary 5. Together 6. Level 7. Store Bought Bones 8... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Four NIN classics, plus two good bonus tracks
Disadvantages: The short length, and tracks 7-97

...It wasn't really until Trent Reznor's masterpiece 'The Downward Spiral' that Nine Inch Nails dethroned Ministry as the largest industrial band on the planet. 'Broken' wasn't really a full release, but a stop-gap EP to fill the five year gap between that and the 1989 debut ('Pretty Hate Machine'). Only six tracks are listed, two of which are relatively short instrumentals. The other four are, however, all classics, and there are two 'hidden' bonus tracks too, which are worth a listen. Tracks 7-97 each consist of a three second silence, before we get to these extra songs - a cover of Adam Ant's 'Physical' and 'Suck' (which I'll get to later). Since there aren't many songs, I'll say a bit about each - I'll keep it short though, because otherwise I'll just be repeating myself (they are rather the same). 'Wish' is a catchy little... Read review

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